The Berkeley Law and Organizing Collective is an opportunity to engage with worker organizing, collective bargaining, and the nexus between law, organizing, and power. Members’ work will involve a mix of organizing, research, and worker training. BLOC prides itself on offering students educational opportunities to holistically engage with worker organizing, and build the power of working people.
This year, BLOC members will conduct legal research for, provide administrative support to, and organize with members of UAW Local 4811, the largest academic worker union in the country, as they gear up for a contract renegotiation in 2025. In addition, BLOC members will assist the Independent Organizing Network (ION), along with Stanford Law Students, with new, independent organizing campaigns across the West Coast. This work will entail preparing Know Your Rights training materials, and providing Unfair Labor Practice support as these campaigns organize against potential retaliation.
Supervision: Students engaged in BLOC’s efforts will be supervised by a local labor law attorney.
Time commitment: BLOC anticipates approx. 12 required hours per semester. Approx. 5 of those required hours will be on weekdays after 5pm, and approx. 7 will be over lunch on weekdays. Students will have the opportunity to engage in additional research, administrative support, or organizing as they have capacity and desire to do so. All dates for required activities will be determined in the fall based on member availability.
BLOC aims to take a “low-floor; high-ceiling” approach to its time commitment to allow students with great passion for worker justice to contribute and learn as much as they have capacity for, while recognizing that other members may have less time to allocate to BLOC.
For more information, please contact the student leaders at ProBonoBLOC@berkeley.edu.